1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a binding apparatus, and in particular relates to a binding apparatus that is connected with a sheet discharging part of an image forming apparatus, such as a printer and a copier, and that folds a sheet received from the image forming apparatus and binds stacked folded sheets at the folded side parts of the folded sheets.
2. Discussion of the Background
A binding technology used in producing weekly magazines is well known. After printed sheets are stacked and jogged, the stacked printed sheets are stapled at their center portions by a stapling device. The stapled sheets are then folded at their stapled portions. Because the stapled sheets are folded at their stapled portions, the side edges of the folded sheets, opposite the stapled and folded side of the folded sheets, are not uniform. Therefore, the side edges of the folded sheets, opposite the stapled and folded side, are cut off by a cutting apparatus so as to be uniform.
A binding apparatus is known to be connected with a copying machine, downstream of a sheet discharging part of the copying machine in the sheet discharging direction. The binding apparatus sorts or collates sheets carrying an image on one or both sides of the sheets, which have been discharged from the copying machine, and then jogs and binds the sheets into a stack of sheets.
In the binding technology used in producing a weekly magazine, as described above, the side edges of the folded sheets, opposite the stapled and folded side of the folded sheets, must be cut off by a cutting apparatus so as to be uniform. Noise is produced when the side edges of the folded sheets are cut off by the cutting apparatus. The cutting apparatus is relatively large, heavy and expensive. The life of a knife used in the cutting apparatus is relatively short. Further, the consumption of electric power is relatively large. When the number of printed sheets, which must be folded, is large, the folding apparatus may not sufficiently fold the sheets.
A binding apparatus used in conjunction with a copying machine generally stacks sheets, which have been received from the copying machine, without folding each of the sheets, into a stack of sheets, and then staples the stacked sheets. The stacked sheets are stapled at edge portions of the sheets at one side. Therefore, when a sheet of the stack of stapled sheets is pulled, the stapled part of the pulled sheet is easily torn, so that the pulled sheet is taken apart from the stack of stapled sheets. For avoiding this problem, the stapling position for a stack of sheets must be located well inside of the stack of sheets toward the center portion thereof. This may result in stapling the sheets at a part of the image area of each sheet, so that the inconvenience may be caused such that a part of the image at the stapled part of each sheet cannot be seen. For avoiding the inconvenience, the image must be formed on each sheet with a relatively large margin for stapling, which then reduces the area in each sheet where an image can be formed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-discussed and other problems and addresses the above-discussed and other problems.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a novel binding apparatus of a relatively small size, that folds a sheet, and binds stacked folded sheets so that side edges of the bound folded sheets are uniform. The preferred embodiments of the present invention further provide a novel binding apparatus and method that folds a sheet, carrying images of two pages on one side of the sheet and another images of another two pages on the other side of the sheet, at a center portion of the sheet, and that binds folded sheets, which are stacked, at the folded side parts of the folded sheets. The preferred embodiments of the present invention further provide a novel binding apparatus that reliably binds stacked folded sheets without loosening the stack. The preferred embodiments of the present invention further provide a novel binding apparatus that binds folded sheets into a stack of folded sheets so that each of the bound folded sheets is hard to be torn so as not to be easily pulled out of the stack of folded sheets. The preferred embodiments of the present invention further provide a novel binding apparatus and method that binds sheets with a relatively small binding margin so that a relatively large area of each sheet can be used for forming an image thereupon. The preferred embodiments of the present invention further provide a novel sheet folding apparatus that reliably folds a sheet. The preferred embodiments of the present invention further provide a novel jogging apparatus that reliably jog sheets which have been folded at their center portions. The preferred embodiments of the present invention further provide a novel image forming and binding system that allows to form images of image or document data of two pages on one side of a sheet and another images of another two pages on the other side of the sheet, fold the sheet at a center portion thereof, and bind the folded sheets, which are stacked, at the folded side parts of the folded sheets.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a binding apparatus includes a receiving device configured to receive a sheet from outside and convey the sheet, and a sheet folding device configured to fold the sheet, conveyed by the receiving device, in two at a center portion thereof in a direction the sheet is conveyed, so as to be a folded sheet, and convey the folded sheet with the folded portion thereof being a leading edge of the folded sheet. A jogging device includes a jogging table and is configured to receive and jog the folded sheet, conveyed by the sheet folding device, one after another, so as to be stacked into a stack of folded sheets on the jogging table. A binding device is configured to bind the stack of folded sheets stacked on the jogging table at an edge portion of the stack of folded sheets at the side where the folded portion of each folded sheet of the stack of folded sheets is located. A discharging device is configured to discharge the bound stack of folded sheets.
The binding apparatus may further include a controller to control an operation of the apparatus. The controller receives information on a size of the sheet conveyed from outside. Further, the sheet folding device includes a guiding device configured to guide the sheet conveyed by the receiving device, and a sheet folding/pressing device configured to fold the sheet conveyed by the receiving device and press the folded sheet. The guiding device includes a stopping device configured to stop the sheet being conveyed by the receiving device to be conveyed, and a position the stopping device stops the sheet to be conveyed is set by the controller according to the information on the size of the sheet so that the sheet is folded at the center portion of the sheet by the sheet folding/pressing device. The sheet being conveyed by the receiving device is stopped to be conveyed by the stopping device, so that the center portion of the sheet is downwardly slackened, the slackened centered portion of the sheet is pinched into the sheet folding/pressing device, and thereby the sheet is folded in two at the center portion thereof by the sheet folding/pressing device.
The sheet folding device may further include a detect device configured to detect a leading edge of the sheet guided by the guiding device, a pushing device configured to push the slackened center portion of the sheet toward the sheet folding/pressing device, and a pushing device moving device configured to move the pushing device downwardly toward the sheet folding/pressing device so as to push the slackened center portion of the sheet toward the folding/pressing device and upwardly so as to separate from the sheet folding/pressing device. The pushing device moving device moves the pushing device downwardly to push the slackened center portion of the sheet toward the sheet folding/pressing device at a predetermined timing after detection of the leading edge of the sheet with he detect device, so that the slackened center portion of the sheet is pushed by the pushing device so as to be pinched into and thereby the sheet is folded in two at the center portion thereof by the sheet folding/pressing device.
The pushing device may include a saw-toothed knife to push the center portion of the sheet, so that the sheet is perforated at the pushed center portion of the sheet when the saw-toothed knife pushes the center portion of the sheet.
The sheet folding device may include a sheet folding/pressing device having a pair of sheet folding rollers and a pair of supplementary pressing rollers. The pair of supplementary pressing rollers is arranged downstream of the pair of sheet folding rollers in the direction the folded sheet is conveyed and is angled relative to the pair of sheet folding rollers, and a distance between a nip portion of the pair of supplementary rollers and a nip portion of the pair of the sheet folding rollers at a position corresponding to a widthwise edge of the folded sheet, at a side of a widthwise direction where the pair of the supplementary rollers and the pair of sheet folding rollers are farther separated from each other, is shorter than a length of the folded sheet in the direction the folded sheet is conveyed.
The jogging device may include a leading edge stopping device configured to stop the folded sheet to be conveyed at the leading edge thereof, and a left side jogging device configured to jog the folded sheet with respect to a left side of the folded sheet in a direction the folded sheet is conveyed, a right side jogging device configured to jog the folded sheet with respect to a right side of the folded sheet, and a rear side jogging device configured to jog the folded sheet with respect to a rear side of the folded sheet, each including an upper guide member to guide the folded sheet being conveyed by the sheet folding device toward the jogging table and a jogging member to jog the folded sheets on the jogging table, The upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is configured to swing between a horizontal position where the upper guide member is substantially horizontal so as to hold down a previously conveyed folded sheet on the jogging table and so that the folded sheet being conveyed by the sheet folding device slides over an upper surface of the upper guide member to be stopped by the leading edge stopping device and a slanted position where the upper guide member is upwardly slanted. Each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is configured to move to a first position where the upper guide member thereof in the horizontal position separates from the folded sheet carried on the upper surfaces of the upper guide members of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices and to a second position where the jogging member thereof is in a position corresponding to a size of the folded sheet being conveyed by the folding device, which is determined by the controller according to the information on the size of the sheet. When the folded sheet is conveyed to the jogging device by the sheet folding device, each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is in the second position and the upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is in the horizontal position.
After the folded sheet has been conveyed by the folding device to the jogging device so as to slide over the upper surfaces of the upper guide members of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices, each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices moves, with the upper guide member thereof kept in the horizontal position, to the first position, where the upper guide member of each of the left, right and rear side jogging devices is swung to the slanted position, and each of the left, right and rear sides jogging devices is then moved to the second position, where the upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is returned to the horizontal position.
The leading edge stopping device may include a leading edge binding position adjusting device configured to change a position the leading edge stopping device stops the folded sheet to be conveyed so that a position in the folded sheet relative to the leading edge thereof where the binding device binds the folded sheet is changed.
The folding device may include a detect device configured to detect that the folded sheet is discharged toward the jogging device, and the jogging device may include a sheet center thrusting device configured to swing between a horizontal position to downwardly thrust the folded sheet carried on the upper surfaces of the upper guide members of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices and a slanted position where the sheet center thrusting device is upwardly slanted, and a sheet center thrusting device driving device configured to drive the sheet center thrusting device so as to swing between the horizontal position and the slanted position.
The sheet center thrusting device driving device drives the sheet center thrusting device downwardly to move to the horizontal position so as to downwardly thrust the folded sheet carried on the upper surfaces of the upper guide members of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices, after the detect device detects that the folded sheet has been discharged toward the jogging device, and to swing back to the slanted position, after each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices in the second position moves toward outside to the first position, moves again toward inside to the second position after the upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is swung to the slanted position, stops at the second position, and the upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is swung to the horizontal position.
When the binding device binds the stack of folded sheets stacked on the jogging table, the jogging member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is in the second position, the upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is in horizontal position, and the sheet center thrusting device is in the horizontal position.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sheet folding apparatus includes a pair of sheet folding rollers and a pair of supplementary pressing rollers. The pair of supplementary pressing rollers is arranged downstream of the pair of sheet folding rollers in a sheet conveyance direction and is angled relative to the pair of sheet folding rollers, and a distance between a nip portion of the pair of supplementary rollers and a nip portion of the pair of the sheet folding rollers at a position corresponding to a widthwise edge of the sheet, at a side of a widthwise direction where the pair of the supplementary rollers and the pair of sheet folding rollers are farther separated from each other, is shorter than a length of the folded sheet in the sheet feeding direction. A portion of a sheet is pinched into the pair of sheet folding rollers so that the sheet is folded in two by the pair of sheet folding rollers, and then the folded sheet is pressed by the pair of supplementary pressing rollers, so that the folded portion of the folded sheet is firmly folded.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a jogging apparatus includes a jogging table on which a sheet may be stacked one after another, and a leading edge stopping device configured to stop a sheet conveyed from outside at a leading edge thereof, a left side jogging device configured to jog the sheet with respect to a left side of the sheet in a direction the sheet is conveyed, a right side jogging device configured to jog the sheet with respect to a right side of the sheet, and a rear side jogging device configured to jog the sheet with respect to a rear side of the sheet. Each of the left side, right side, and rear side jogging devices includes an upper guide member to guide the sheet conveyed from outside onto the jogging table one after another so as to be stacked into a stack of sheets on the jogging table and a jogging member to jog the stack of sheets on the jogging table. The upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is configured to swing between a horizontal position where the upper guide member is substantially horizontal so as to hold down a previously conveyed sheet on the jogging table and so that the sheet being conveyed from outside slides over an upper surface of the upper guide member to be stopped by the leading edge stopping device and a slanted position where the upper guide member is upwardly slanted. Each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is configured to move to a first position where the upper guide member thereof in the horizontal position separates from the sheet carried on the upper surfaces of the upper guide members of the left side, right side and rear side jogging device and to a second position where the jogging member thereof is in a position corresponding to a size of the sheet being conveyed from outside. When the sheet is conveyed, each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is in the second position and the upper guide member of each of the left side, right side and rear side jogging devices is in the horizontal.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an image forming and binding system includes an image formation controller configured to generate and transmit image or document data with page and sheet size information and printing and binding instructions thereof, and an image forming apparatus configured to form images of the image or document data received from the image formation controller on both sides of a sheet according to the page and sheet size information and the printing and binding instructions and discharge the sheet, and a binding apparatus configured to bind sheets received from the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus forms a second page image and a third page image of images of four pages of the image or document data on a first side of the sheet, which upwardly faces when the sheet is exited from the image forming apparatus, with the second page image at a leading edge side of the sheet in a direction the sheet is conveyed, and a first page image and a fourth page image of the images of four pages on a second side of the sheet, which downwardly faces when the sheet is exited from the image forming apparatus, with the first page image at the leading edge side of the sheet in the direction the sheet is conveyed, and the image formation controller controls the image forming apparatus to form the images of the image or document data starting from last four pages of the image or document data. The binding apparatus includes a controller to control an operation of the binding apparatus. The controller receives the sheet size information and the binding instruction from the image formation controller. A receiving device of the binding apparatus is configured to receive the sheet discharged by the image forming apparatus and convey the sheet. A sheet folding device is configured to fold the sheet, conveyed by the receiving device, in two at a center portion thereof in the direction the sheet is conveyed according to the sheet size information, and convey the folded sheet. A jogging device includes a jogging table and is configured to receive and jog the folded sheet, conveyed by the sheet folding device, one after another, so as to be stacked into a stack of folded sheets on the jogging table according to the sheet size information. A binding device is configured to bind the stack of folded sheets stacked on the jogging table at an edge portion of the stack of folded sheets at the side where the folded portion of each folded sheet of the stack of folded sheets is located according to the binding instruction, and a discharging device configured to discharge the bound stack of folded sheets.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of binding sheets includes receiving a sheet from outside and conveying the sheet; folding the conveyed sheet in two at a center portion thereof in a direction the sheet is conveyed so as to be a folded sheet and conveying the folded sheet with the folded portion of the fold sheet being a leading edge of the folded sheet with a sheet folding device; receiving and jogging the conveyed folded sheet one after another so as to be stacked into a stack of folded sheets with a receiving/jogging device; binding the stack of stacked folded sheets at an edge portion of the stack of folded sheets at the side where the folded portion of each folded sheet of the stack of folded sheets is located with a binding device; and discharging the bound stack of folded sheets.
The binding method may further include receiving information on a size of the sheet, and the folding/conveying may include receiving and guiding the conveyed sheet, setting a position where the conveyed sheet is stopped to be conveyed according to the size of the sheet so that the sheet is folded by the sheet folding device at the center portion of the sheet, and stopping the sheet to be conveyed at the position, so that the center portion of the sheet is downwardly slackened, the slackened center portion of the sheet is pinched into the sheet folding device, and thereby the sheet is folded in two at the center portioned of the sheet by the sheet folding device.
The folding/conveying may further include detecting a leading edge of the sheet, and pushing the slackened center portion of the sheet toward the sheet folding device with a pushing device at a predetermined timing after the detection of the leading edge of the sheet, so that the slackened center portion of the sheet is pinched into the sheet folding device.
In the above-described method, the pushing device may include a saw-toothed knife to push the slackened center portion of the sheet. In this case, the pushing includes perforating the sheet at the pushed center portion of the sheet with the saw-toothed knife.
In the above-described method, the sheet folding device may include a pair of sheet folding rollers and a pair of supplementary pressing rollers. The pair of supplementary pressing rollers is arranged downstream of the pair of sheet folding rollers in the direction the folded sheet is conveyed and is angled relative to the pair of sheet folding rollers, and a distance between a nip portion of the pair of supplementary rollers and a nip portion of the pair of the sheet folding rollers at a position corresponding to a widthwise edge of the folded sheet, at a side of a widthwise direction where the pair of the supplementary rollers and the pair of sheet folding rollers are farther separated from each other, is shorter than a length of the folded sheet in the direction the folded sheet is conveyed. In this case, the folding/pressing includes folding the sheet with the pair of sheet folding rollers and pressing the folded sheet with the pair of supplementary pressing rollers.
The binding method may further include receiving information on a size of the sheet and determining a size of the folded sheet folded at the center of the sheet, and the jogging device may include a leading edge stopping device to stop the folded sheet, an upper guide member to guide the folded sheet conveyed by the sheet folding device and a jogging member to jog the folded sheet. In this case, the receiving/jogging includes, sliding the conveyed folded sheet over an upper surface of the upper guide member of the jogging device, which is in a substantially horizontal position, to be stopped by the leading edge stopping device and to be carried on the upper surface of the upper guide member, moving the jogging device to a first position where the folded sheet carried on the upper surface of the upper guide member separates from the upper guide member to fall onto the jogging table, swinging the upper guide member from the horizontal position to a slanted position where the upper guide member is upwardly slanted, and moving the jogging device to a second position where the jogging member of the jogging device is in a position corresponding to the size of the folded sheet being received.
In the above-described method, the folding device may include a detect device to detect that the folded sheet is discharged toward the jogging device and a sheet center thrusting device to downwardly thrust the folded sheet carried on the upper surface of the upper guide member of the jogging device. In this case, the receiving/jogging further includes detecting that the folded sheet is discharged toward the jogging device with the detect device, and swinging the sheet center thrusting device between a substantially horizontal position where the sheet center thrusting device downwardly thrusts the folded sheet carried on the upper surface of the upper guide member of the jogging device and a slanted position where the sheet center thrusting device is upwardly slanted.
In the above-described method, in the binding, the jogging member of the jogging device is in the second position, the upper guide member is in the horizontal position, and the sheet center thrusting device is in the horizontal position.
The receiving/jogging may further include stopping the folded sheet to be conveyed at a leading edge of the folded sheet so that the folded sheet is jogged relative to the binding device, and adjusting a position to stop the folded sheet so that that a position in the folded sheet relative to the leading edge thereof where the binding device binds the stack of folded sheet is changed.